To Pretend
by hann789
Summary: Episode 3.17 missing scene. How does Booth and Brennan really feel about going undercover? *Spoilers for all episodes up to now.* One-Shot


**A/N: There was no way that I couldn't write a tag for tonight's episode. And honestly, there might be more to come. But I felt we needed to see something about the undercover thing. So, here is my take.**

**Thanks to Effie for looking over it and fixing some of my overlooked mistakes. You're awesome!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bones or the characters and I certainly don't make any money off my adventures in their world. However, Hart Hanson if you're out there…let me come work for you. Please.**

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Booth can't help but stare at his now blank computer screen as his boss and psychologist end the video conference feed. There is an envelope in his hands burning with the dread of opening it and presenting her with their cover. It's been eight days and thirteen hours since his heart was crushed (and really, it wasn't broken it was crushed) in the cool spring air. It had been the hardest eight days of his entire life, because waking up every morning without the hope of something more with her was suffocating. And it didn't help that cases still came in and work still had to be done. Murderers still had to be caught.

There were more moments than he could count over the last eight days that he regretted telling her that they could still work together because it was slowly killing him. But he loved her enough to plaster a smile on his face (fake) and pretend like nothing happened. He was more careful around her now though, he stopped his hand from finding the small of her back - they stayed in his pockets more now - and he guarded his thoughts and words more before speaking them. He didn't (couldn't) give away how much of a hold she still had over him.

In a moment of weakness (and if he could admit it, anger) he had confessed all to Sweets. Well, mostly all. That hadn't made anything any easier. Booth was thankful, though, that Sweets had in return kept his promise and hadn't spoken a word of anything that had transpired between them. Booth was also grateful that Sweets had agreed (after Booth insisted) that their working relationship would remain intact as long as it didn't affect their jobs.

So far, so good.

But this case was going to test every ounce of self-preservation and restraint. Because in this case he was going to have to pretend to be married to her and they were going to have to go to her reunion and put up a show of happiness - when inside he was crumbling. It was going to be like a knife through his heart every second they had to pretend.

He hadn't lied to Sweets when he had spoken to him earlier, they aren't sharing a room and they don't conjoin. However, they are next to each other and the paper thin walls allowed the noises of her shower and hairdryer to seep into his room so he often shook his head forcefully as if to remove the feelings and thoughts about her from his brain. He also might have exaggerated his dinner plans for next week. Because really, dinner with Jared, Padme, and Padme's sister couldn't really be considered a date, could it?

He wasn't going to be moving on anytime soon (if ever.)

_"I don't have your kind of open heart."_

"Just give this a chance, that's all I'm asking."

Their words haunted his dreams and he can't help but wonder what this weekend could be like if her answer had been different.

"Stop it Booth," he chastised himself. "This isn't helping."

A hesitant knock sounded from his door and Booth opened the door to find his partner, breathtaking as usual, on the other side. A flash of emotion crossed her face quickly, but it was gone before Booth could interrupt its meaning (he couldn't hope anymore) so he moved aside to allow her to come in.

"What's the plan?" she asked, straightforward and to the point, just like he expected. "Who are we questioning first?"

"We're not."

"I don't understand."

"The bureau, Hacker and Sweets, think we'll get more information from people if they don't know we're FBI."

"I can't go undercover Booth," Brennan argued with him, "they know me here. I graduated from here."

"You're not undercover as someone else, you'll be you," Booth informed her and took a shaky breath, "but you're undercover in the sense that you're here for your high school reunion."

"What about you?"

Booth swallowed hard and handed her the manila envelope he had just received. She opened it up and dumped the contents into her hand and he watched as the confusion on her face turned into understanding.

"Oh."

"I'm going as Bobby Kent, your…husband."

The silence that overtook the hotel room was stifling and Booth could feel Brennan's resistance as she fingered the two wedding bands in her palm. He tried to crack a joke, but his words failed him. He took a step toward her and pulled his wedding band (_the_ wedding band, the) out of her hand and slipped it onto his finger. She mirrored his movements and suddenly, to everyone around them they were married.

She opened her mouth, closed it, and then opened it again. "I'm sorry."

The words were quiet and his heart took another stab. Instead of moving on, moving forward he was moving backwards. He nodded and silently they slipped out of the motel room and back on the case.

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A.N: So there you go. Just a little something to show a bit more awkwardness between our favorite non-couple. Let me know what you think!


End file.
